Within the administrative structure of the Baha’i Faith, there are two primary categories of financial contributions expected from adherents. The first is exclusively designated for the Universal House of Justice—the supreme governing body of the Baha’i Faith—and no individual or institution has the authority to interfere with its allocation. This contribution, known as Ḥuqúqu’lláh (“the Right of God”), constitutes a fixed percentage of a believer’s income or possessions. All Baha’is, regardless of wealth or status, are obliged to offer a portion of their earnings as Ḥuqúqu’lláh.
The second category comprises funds that Baha’is are obligated to contribute at the local level. These are either spent within the local administrative structure or, in some cases, appropriated by members of the Local Spiritual Assemblies.
The Universal House of Justice—an institution that claims to embody a new world order—is financially sustained through the collection of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, particularly from within Iran. (Notably, this practice is not uniformly implemented in other countries, especially in Europe and North America.) At the same time, the Universal House of Justice remains attentive to the preferences of National Spiritual Assemblies, recognizing that alienating these bodies could jeopardize its standing in future elections and its continued leadership.
At the conclusion of the Nineteen Day Feasts—an essential component of Baha’i community life—a donation box is circulated among attendees, who contribute money voluntarily. After the meeting, the funds are counted and, once verified, are cover the expenses of the local assembly or are transferred through specific channels to the intended destination country.
This financial system within the Bahá’í administrative order has enabled, often through indirect and opaque mechanisms, the transfer of funds from Iranian Bahá’ís to the Universal House of Justice, where centralized oversight governs their use. However, the case of the Bakhtiyari Endowment in Pakistan reveals that calls for financial transparency—both at the grassroots and institutional levels—have remained confined to bureaucratic correspondence, with no individual or body assuming practical responsibility for implementing such transparency. This accountability gap raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the Bahá’í Faith’s financial oversight mechanisms and the balance between the autonomy of national institutions and the centralized control of the Universal House of Justice.
What follows is a documented examination of this issue, focusing on the firm stance taken by the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa in 1977 against the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Pakistan.
International Teaching Centre,
The World Centre of the Baha’i Faith,
Haifa, Israel.
28th November 1977
Dearly Beloved Friends,
Your letter of October 31, 1977 regarding the letter of the National Spiritual Assembly of Pakistan asking for theproceeds of the Bakhtiyari Trust was studied in our meeting of November 24, 1977.
In view of the fact that the National Spiritual Assembly of Pakistan, inspite of our repeated requests, has not provided us with their plan on how they want to handle the affairs of the Publishing Trust and how they want to recycle the money it was unanimously decided to recommend to you that no such money should be sent to Pakistan under the circumstances.
We believe that the following steps should precede any financial contribution to their Publishing Trust:
1) A treasurer or manager should be appointed who can handle such transactions. We have recommended Mr. Fereydoon Makhdoom, former Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly for this position.
2) A clear plan including a cash–flow chart be chalked out to ensure recycling of the capital investment in a reasonable time.
3) Money be advanced in instalments through our Auxiliary Board Member Mr. Mehrebam Jamshidi according to the staged plan presented by the Publishing Trust and the progress of each project.
We are sorry to inform you that we have not received any cooperative response on these matters from the National Spiritual Assembly of Pakistan. They have received a total of 60,000 Rupees in outside contribution for teaching work and so far we have not heard from them how this money has been budgeted, spent and what has been the achievement.
With our loving Baha’i greetings,
Yours in His Service,
CONTINENTAL BOARD OF COUNSELLORS IN WESTERN ASIA
